Michael Rutschky
Published: February 22, 2006
Steve Martin revives the role of Inspector Jacques Clouseau for “The Pink Panther,” in what is billed as a prequel to the popular movie series starring Peter Sellers. The film sees the bumbling Jacques Clouseau promoted from an average police officer to an inspector, and given the task of solving a murder and recovering the stolen Pink Panther diamond.
Little does he know his promotion, as well as his assignment, are meant to serve as a decoy for the media while the arrogant Chief Inspector Dreyfus (Kevin Kline) secretly attempts to solve the case himself. Alongside Clouseau are his sidekick, Gendarme Gilbert Ponton (Jean Reno), and his lovely assistant Nicole (Emily Mortimer).
The slapstick of the Blake Edwards originals remains intact, even if quite a few of the jokes in the prequel are simply the same jokes as before, but performed by the new cast.
Steve Martin’s performance as the idiot detective is absolutely hysterical. Even at 60, he seems quite adept at both physical comedy and erratic stupidity. His Clouseau seems a bit more exaggerated than the way Peter Sellers portrayed him in the earlier movies, but his interpretation of the character definitely carries the movie. It might seem a little odd at first for Clouseau to have such different features (white hair for example) in the prequel than he does in the earlier films, but this detail doesn’t hinder Martin’s believability in the role.
Kevin Kline’s Chief Inspector Dreyfus is not as much of a sociopath, like he was in the original movies, as he is just a jerk. This, of course, is probably because the other films take place after this one. In this way, the prequel is effective at establishing just how much Dreyfus has had to endure since meeting Clouseau.
Jean Reno’s Ponton works perfectly as Clouseau’s comedic foil. Reno typically portrays very serious characters, so it’s interesting to see him acting opposite Martin.
Probably the weakest link in the cast is Beyonce Knowles, who plays pop singer Xania. Even though she’s playing a pop star, which shouldn’t be too hard for her, she still can’t seem to give a convincing performance. Don’t worry, she isn’t in very much of the film.
All in all The Pink Panther is a solid comedy, a film that can hold its own on comedic value alone.